The present invention relates to a heating ventilation and air conditioning unit (xe2x80x9cHVACxe2x80x9d) and steering column support structure and more particularly, to an integrated HVAC and steering column support structure which combines the vehicle""s cockpit structural assemblies and attributes with the vehicle""s HVAC, thereby reducing the cost and weight of the vehicle, increasing packaging efficiency, and improving system quality and safety.
Vehicle passenger compartments or cockpits typically include various devices such as a steering wheel assembly, an instrument panel, electrical and mechanical subsystems, pedal assemblies, a heating ventilation and air conditioning unit (xe2x80x9cHVACxe2x80x9d) and ducts, and several support structures and assemblies which are used to mount and hold these components. These structural supports and assemblies typically include one or more stanchions, cross car beams, and tunnel mounted brackets which are rigidly attached to the vehicle body and which cooperatively support the steering column, HVAC, instrument panel, dashboard and other components. While these structural assemblies effectively support the vehicular cockpit components and provide a desirable level of stiffness and rigidity, they suffer from some drawbacks.
For example and without limitation, these added support members or systems undesirably lengthen and complicate the manufacturing process, decrease packaging efficiency and increase the weight of the vehicle. Particularly, these supports typically do not integrate the other necessary passenger compartment assemblies, such as the HVAC system, the instrument panel, dashboard, and other electrical and mechanical subsystems and thus, they add to the weight and complexity of the vehicle""s cockpit, thereby complicating and lengthening the overall vehicle assembly procedure.
Some attempts have been made to integrate certain functional components of the vehicle""s cockpit and/or instrument panel into structural supports to save space within the vehicle. Particularly, attempts have been made to integrate cross car air ducts into certain parts of the instrument panel support structure. However, such attempts have not provided the necessary steering column support and therefore have not eliminated much of the required support system such as the tunnel mounted bracket assembly. Moreover, the integration of cross-vehicle air ducts into structural members (or the integration of structural members into air ducts) severely limits the design flexibility of the cross-vehicle air ducts, thereby significantly increasing the manufacturing cost of the ducts and/or making the ducts unable to be integrated into certain vehicle cockpits.
Therefore, a need exists for an integrated HVAC and steering column support assembly which integrates the structural attributes of the instrument panel support assembly into the HVAC system, thereby desirably reducing the weight, cost and packaging space of the vehicle.
It is a first object of the present invention to provide an integrated HVAC and steering column support structure which overcomes the various and previously delineated drawbacks of prior vehicle support assemblies and systems.
It is a second object of the present invention to provide an integrated HVAC and steering column support structure which efficiently combines the steering column support function and the HVAC function into a single synergistic system.
It is a third object of the present invention to provide an integrated HVAC and steering column support structure which eliminates the need for a tunnel mounted bracket assembly.
It is a fourth object of the present invention to provide an integrated HVAC and steering column support structure which lowers vehicle cost and weight, and which improves packaging efficiency and crash intrusion characteristics.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, an integrated HVAC assembly and steering column support structure is provided for use within a vehicle. The structure includes a first portion which is coupled to said steering column and to a body assembly of the vehicle; and a second portion which forms a portion of the HVAC assembly and which is coupled to an underbody assembly of the vehicle, wherein the first and second portions are effective to cooperatively support the HVAC assembly and the steering column.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, a method for integrally supporting a HVAC assembly and a steering wheel assembly is provided. The method includes the steps of providing an integrated HVAC face plate support member; providing a steering assembly support member; attaching the integrated HVAC face plate support member to an underbody portion of the vehicle; attaching the HVAC assembly to the HVAC face plate support member, thereby supporting the HVAC assembly; attaching the steering wheel support member to a body portion of the vehicle and to the HVAC face plate support member; and coupling the steering wheel assembly to the steering wheel support member, thereby supporting the steering wheel assembly.
These and other objects, aspects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a consideration of the following specification and the attached drawings.